Apparatus for making pressed metal articles



H. M. HESSENBRUCH 1,953,757 APPARATUS FOR kAKING PRESSED METAL ARTICLES Filed June 18, 1932 April 3, 1934.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR: fiermnnMWW 1 BY W A TTORNEYS.

April 3, 1934.

H. M. HESSENBRUCH APPARATUS FOR MAK I NG PRES SED METAL ART I CLE S Filed June 18, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES:

. INVENTOR: wmammsswwnzciz A TTORNEYS.

April 3, 1934- H. M. HESSENBRUCH 1,953,757

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PRESSED METAL ARTICLES Filed June 18. 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 llll FZG M A TTORNEYS.

April 3, 1934- H. M. HESSENBRUCH 1,953,757

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PRESSED METAL ARTICLES 4 Filed June 18. 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 HG X WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

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WW ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1934 PATENT orricr.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PRESSED METAL ARTICLES Hermann M. Hessenbruch, Wynnewood, Pa., as-

signor to Nicetown Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylv ania Application June 18, 1932, Serial No. 618,026

8 Claims.

invention relates to apparatus for making pi; essed.metal articles, and more particularly to gheans of conveying such articles from one press to another, incident to their formation by successive drawing operations.

1 Generally stated, the object of my invention is two-fold: first, to reduce the time involved in the manufacture of certain articles which require successive operations to be performed thereon at 9 different presses by operating each press of the series continuously and in coordinated relation with the others; and, secondly, to eliminate the necessity for manual handling, conveying or feeding of the articles by rendering such operations fully automatic and incidental to the operation of the presses.

A more specific object of the invention is to incorporate in such a battery of interconnected presses means for so controlling and guiding the movement of the articles in their travel from the original point of formation to their ultimate destination as to insure against the dislodgment of the articles or the jamming of one article against another.

: Other specific objects and advantages characterizing my invention will become more fully apparent from the description, which follows hereinafter, of certain embodiments or examples of the practice thereof, the description'having ref- 3 erence to the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

Fig. I represents a side elevation of two presses operating in tandem relation.

Fig. II represents an enlarged detail of the mechanism employed at the second or left hand press of Fig. I for feeding the articles singly the bottom die thereof.

Fig. III represents a similar view of said feed mechanism with the moving parts thereof occupying different positions.

Fig. IV represents a cross section of the same, taken as indicated by the lines IVIV of Fig. HI.

Fig. V represents a cross section of a conduit leading from the second press of Fig. I, the section 5 being taken as indicated by the lines V-V of Fig. I.

Fig. VI represents a cross section, taken as indicated by the lines VI-VI of Fig. I, showing the means for supplying lubricant to the sheet metal a strip from which the articles are formed on the series of presses.

Fig. VII represents a cross section of the same, taken as indicated by the lines VII-VII of Fig. VI.

5 Fig. VIII represents a modified form of feed mechanism which may be employed at the second, third or other press of a series of presses operating in tandem.

ployed at a press where a different type of article is to be formed thereon.

Fig. XII represents a cross section of the same, taken as indicated by the lines XII-XII or Fig. m.-

Fig. XIII represents a modified form of elbow for the discharge end of a tubular conduit conveniently employed in the manufacture of articles of the type shown in Fig. XI; and,

Fig. XIV represents a cross section of the same, taken as indicated by the lines XIVX[V of Fig. XIII.

With reference initially to Fig. I of the drawings, there is shown at the right hand a press A, such as used for the forming of articles of special shapes from sheet metal blanks. The press A is connected by a tubular conduit 1 with a similar press B. For convenience of illustration, only two such presses are shown connected in tandem, but it will be readily understood from the descripticn which follows that it may be desirable to employ additional presses in a series, depending upon the number of drawing operations required in the shaping of the article to be manufactured.

Each press A, B is represented as of an ordinary type involving a rigid frame 2, a pulley 3, and a reciprocatoryplunger4actuatedintermittently by rotation of the pulley 3. At the first press A, strips of metal may be conveniently fed thereto by means of a roll 5 supported in bearings on a stand 6. The sheet of metal, indicated at 7, is preferably passed through rollers 8 of a lubricating device, to the bottom die 9 of the press A.- With operation of the plunger 4 of the first press A, blanks are cut from the strip 7 and are drawn to the desired shape and automatically discharged by gravity through the bottom die 9 to a chute 10 which terminates in a wellrounded elbow 11 near the bottom of the press.

In the particular example illustrated in the drawings, the first operation performed at the first press A consists in the making of a. cylindrical metal cup, such as indicated at 12. It will be understood, however, that this invention-is not so much concerned with the particular kinds of articles to be made or with the types of machines used for their manufacture, as it is with the coordinated action of one such machine with another and the automatic transfer of the articles from one machine to another.

At the elbow 11 of the first press A, there is mounted a nozzle 13 which penetrates the wall of the elbow at a point immediately in advance of the position to which the article 12 is discharged by gravity from the bottom die 9 of the press. In the preferred practice of my invention, the nozzle 13 is supplied with compressed air through an air line 14 and is operated by a valve 15. The valve 15 is in turn made responslve to each actuation of the plunger 4 of the press. This is accomplished by. employing a bracket 16 which is movable with the plunger 4 and which is adapted to strike an actuating lever 1'7 of the valve 15, when the plunger has reached the end of its stroke. The operation of the valve 15 is so timed that the air is admitted to the nozzle 13 immediately following the discharge of the article 12 into the elbow 11. A pressure gage 18 is conveniently provided in the air line 14 near the press A.

The tubular conduit 1 is connected to the end of the elbow '11. are preferably made of a cross sectional shape (cylindrical in the present instance) substantially corresponding to the shape of the article 12 after its formation at the first press A. The conduit 1 leads upwardfrom the elbow 11 at an inclination to a point well above the bottom die 19 of the second press B. At its highest point, the conduit 1 is rounded smoothly as shown at 20, and then directed downward to join the end of the chute 21 through which the articles are fed to the bottom die 19 of the second press B. The chute 21 is inthe form of a channel leading directly to the bottom die 19 and serving to guide the articles in their passage to the bottom die.

The feed mechanism of the second press B is shown in detail in Figs. II, III and IV. Associated with the plunger 4 of the second press, there is a bracket 22 which, as the plunger approaches its upper limit of travel, strikes a spring 23 which in turn engages the end of a push rod 24. As shown in Figs. II and III, the push rod 24 is connected to a swinging check 25 which is pivoted to the gravity chute 21 at 26. The swinging check 25 includes an arm 2'7, at the end of which there is mounted a stop 28 having capacity for adjustment by means of nuts 29 on its thread-' ed end. The swinging check 7 25 also includes a cam surface 30 which is adapted to engage an inclined surface 31 on an additional swinging check 32. On the opposite end of the swinging check 32, there is a stop 33 which is adapted to enter through a slot 34 into the end of the conduit 1. The stops 28 and 33 of the swinging checks 25 and 32 are spaced apart at a distance substantially corresponding to the length of the pressed article 12. A spring 35 tends to hold the push rod 24 in a depressed position.

When the second press B is operated, as its plunger 4 approaches its upper limit of travel, the push rod 24 is raised and the swinging checks 25 and 32 are caused to assume the position shown in Fig. II. In this case, the stop 28 obstructs passage of the articles 12 through the chute 21 toward the bottom die 19 of the press. At the same time the swinging check 32 is held clear of the conduit 1 by means of the engagement of the cam surface 30 with the surface 31. When The conduit 1 and the elbow 11 the plunger 4 starts its downward movement, under the influence of the spring 35, the positions of the swinging checks 25 and 32 are reversed in an obvious manner. The article formerly obstructed in its movement by thestop 28 is permitted to slide down the chute 21 into the bottom die 19 beneath the plunger 4. At the same time, the stop 33 is caused to enter through the slot 34 and to prevent other articles being fed into the press B, until the article already there has been operated upon. Upon the next upward stroke of the plunger the article formerly obstructed by the stop 33 is caught by the stop 28 with the quick reversal of the swinging checks 25 and 32. Accordingly, it will be noted that irrespective of the speed at which the articles are propelled through the conduit 1 by the air jet, the feed mechanism at the second press momentarily arrests each article in advance of the bottom die, and causes the articles to be fed singly into the bottom die of the press in timed relation to the stroke of its plunger. Moreover, in the practice of my invention, the press B is operated at a speed somewhat faster than the press A, and hence the conduit 1 cannot become jammed by the piling up of the articles therein.

Leading downward from the bottom die 19 of the second press B, there is a gravity discharge chute 36 which terminates in an elbow 37. To the elbow 37 there is connected a second conduit 38 which may lead to a third press. The elbow 3'7 and conduit 38 are preferably made of a cross section corresponding to the shaping of the pressed articles after the drawing operation at the second press B. In the present example, the conduit 38 is made up of a pair of oppositely disposed angles 39, shown clearly in Fig. V, defining a rectangular passageway. At the second press B there is an air nozzle 13, and an air line 14 similar in form and location to the corresponding parts on the first press.

As an alternative form of feed mechanism, I may employ at the second, third or other press of a series, an arrangement such as shown in Figs. VIII, IX and X. In this arrangement, the tubular conduit 1 terminates at a vertical chute 40 through which articles are discharged to a table 41 and then shifted horizontally into the opening 42 of a die 43. In this arrangement, the chute 40 is made up of a set of angles 44, as shown in Fig. X, and a swinging check 45 is pivoted thereon at 46, the swinging check being operated by a push rod 4'7 which is responsive to the movement of the plunger of the press, in the same manner as the previously described push rod 24. The swinging check 45 includes a pair of arms 48, one of which is attached to the push rod 47 and at the end of which there are springs 49 which are fastened to the table 41. Extending upward from the arms 48 there is an arm 50 carrying a stop 51. Extending downward from the arms 48 there is an arm 52 which serves as a pusher for shifting articles horizontally toward the opening 42 of the die 43. In the table 41 there is a slot 53 within which an L-shaped slide 54 is adapted for horizontal movement. The slide 54 is connected by a spring 56 to the end of an extension member 5'7.

Projecting vertically on the slide 54 are two segments 58 with arcuate surfaces 59, as shown in Fig. X, corresponding to the contour of the articles against which the surfaces abut. The segments 58 engage each article as it passes to the bottom of the vertical chute 40, and with movement of the slide 54 push the articles between guide walls 60 toward theopening 42 in the .die 43. The vertical chute 40, together with the 1 moving upward, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. VIII. In this position, one article will be held at the top of the chute 40 by means of the stop 51, one article will be at the bottom of the chute 40, and additional articles abutting one against another will completely fill the space defined by the guide walls 60. As the plunger approaches its upward limit of travel, the swinging check 45 will be moved to the position shown in Fig. IX. With this movement, the article previously maintained at the top of the chute 40 drops down to engage the ledge 61. The article previously at the bottom of the chute 40 is pushed forward by the arm 52 engaging the slide 54; and the series of articles between the guide walls is moved one step toward the opening 42 in the die 43 with deposit of the endmost article within he die. With upward movement of the plunger, the swinging check will return to the position shown in Fig. VII. If by any chance, an additional article has, in the meanwhile, come through the conduit 1, this article will be caught by the stop 51, either engaging the bottom of the article or its side wall before it is permitted to drop down the chute 40. Accordingly this type of feed mechanism produces a result similar to that of the feed mechanism of Figs. II and III. It serves to momentarily arrest each article in advance of the bottom die as it comes to the second or other press of a series, and then to feed the articles singly into the die of the press in timed relation to the stroke of its plunger.

As thus far described, the apparatus has been adapted for the manufacture of cups of relatively short diameter as compared with length. Where it is desired to adapt the apparatus to the formation of cups of relatively large diameter in comparison with length, the attachments shown in Figs. XI, XII, K111 and IUV may be employed. In Fig. XI, there is shown a modified form of gravity discharge chute for a press. In this example, there is a vertical tube 62 leading downward from the die of the press and terminating in a horizontal ledge 63, the tube beingcut out at the side opposite to the ledge. From the ledge 63 there is an inclined channel 64 leading downward to the nozzle 12. The nozzle 13 is conveniently mounted on. the channel 64 by means of a bracket 65 and penetrates through an opening V- 66 immediately in advance of the position to Near the discharge end of the conduit 6'7, an

elbow may be provided, as shown in Figs. XIII and XEV. The upper end of the conduit 67 is there shown supported by a framework 68. At

. the point where the articles merge from the conduit 67 and start downward by gravity through the gravity chute 69, there is provided a smoothly rounded plate 70. As the upward edge of the article 12a strikes the inner surface of the plate 70, the article is guided. around the sharp corner at the Junctureof the conduit 67 with the discharge chute 69 in an obvious manner.

The apparatus for supplying lubricant to the system may take the form shown in Figs. I, VI and VII, and may be confined to the first machine of the series. This apparatus comprises a bracket '11 supporting the rollers 8 which guide the sheet metal strip 7 toward the bottom die of the press. Lubricant is fed to the reservoir 71 by means of lubricant cups 72. One such cup 72 is fitted with a supply pipe '78 having openings 74 adjacent to the circumference of the bottom roller 8. The other such cup 72 has a supply pipe '75 which leads axially through the top roller 8 and which discharges lubricant through openings 76 within the top roller 8. An absorbent material is selected for the rollers 8, so that the lubricant is permitted to seep through the top roller 8 to the top of the sheet metal strip '7. This apparatus serves to distribute lubricant uniformly on the top and bottom of the metal strip, as it passes to the press.

The operation of a series of presses arranged in tandem formation will be apparent from the above description. The presses are run continuously at a predetermined speed ratio with the second press running faster than the first press, the third press running faster than the second, and so on throughout the series of presses. Incident to the forming operation at the first press, the articles are automatically discharged to a conduit. The articles are then propelled through the conduit'by a pressure jet responsive to the ac tuation of the plunger of the first press. From the end of the conduit the articles pass through a feed mechanism which delivers them singly to the second press of the series in timed relation to the action of its plunger. From the second press, the articles may be transferred in like manner to a third press. By uniformly distributing a lubricant over the surfaces of the sheet metal strip preparatory to its entering the first press, the whole system may be adequately lubricated. It is found that sufiicient lubricant is carried with the articles to coat the conduits with a thin film uniformly distributed on the interior surface thereof, and this in turn expedites the passage of the articles from one press to another, and

makes it possible to propel the articles by an air jet with relative low air pressure.

It will be especially noted that in the practice of this invention each article is guided in its movement from its point of formation at the first press to and through the remainder of the presses of the series, and that at no point along-its travel is there any opportunity for the article to become dislodged. Moreover, the guided movement of the articles, together with the timed control of their ejection and propulsion from one press to the next and the timed controlof their arrest and admittance to the next press, prevents the jam-= ming of one article against another and makes possible the smooth uninterrupted operation of the battery of presses.

While I have described several examples of the particular mechanism which I prefer to employ in the practice of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form of this mechanism without departing from the spirit of my invention; and that certain features of my invention may be used at times to advantage without a corresponding use of other features, all without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the claims hereto annexed.

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. to the bottom die thereof in timed relation to the actuation of its plunger.

2-. Apparatus for making pressed metal articlesby successive drawing operations comprising a plurality of presses, a conduit between said presses, a chute for automatically'and guidedly delivering the articles to said conduit incident to their formation at the first press, a pressure jet responsive to each actuation of the plunger of the first press for propelling the articles through said conduit to the second press, and mechanical means at said second press for momentarily arresting the articles and feeding them singly to the bottom die thereof, said presses being operated continuously at a predetermined speed ratio.

3. Apparatus for making pressedmetal articles by successive drawing operations, comprising a plurality of continuously operating presses, a gravity chute leading downward from the bottom die of the first press and terminating in a smoothly rounded elbow, a conduit joining said elbow and leading upward to a point above the bottom die of the second press, an additional gravity chute leading downward from the end of said conduit to the bottom die of the second press, a pressure jet at the elbow aforesaid responsive to the actuation of the plunger of the first press to propel articles received from the first mentioned gravity chute through said conduit to the second mentioned gravity chute, and means at said latter gravity chute responsive to the actuation of the plunger of the second press for arresting said article momentarily and feedingthem singly to the bottom die of said second press.

4. In a machine for making pressed metal articles including a plunger and bottom die, a gravity chute leading from said bottom die and terminating in a smoothly rounded elbow, a conduit inclined upward from the end of said elbow, a pressure jet penetrating said elbow, and means for operating said pressure jet in timed relation to the stroke of the plunger, whereby articles formed on said die and delivered to said elbow by means of the gravity chute are then subjected to the action of the pressure jet and caused to be propelled through said conduit.

5. In a machine formaking' pressed metal articles including a plunger and bottom die, a channel leading to the bottom die and serving to guide articles to be pressed in their passage to said bottom die, means for intermittently delivering articles to said channel, and a check device movable to a position within said channel to obstruct the passage of articles therein, said check device being actuated in timed relation to the stroke of the plunger and being operable to arrest the articles momentarily in advance of said bottom die and to feed them singly to said bottom die.

6. In a machine for making pressed metal articles including a plunger and bottom die, a channel leading to said bottom die and serving to guide articles to be pressed in their passage to said bottom die, means for intermittently delivering articles to said channel, and a pair of swinging check devices operable in timed relation with movement of the plunger, said check devices being spaced along said channel at a distance substantially corresponding to the length of each article and being oppositely movable into and out of said'channel so that when one enters the channel to obstruct passage of an article therealong the other is withdrawn from said channel,

' whereby said articles arefed singly to said bottom die. a

7. In a machine for making pressed metal articles including a plunger and bottom die, a table adjacent to said die, a channel leading to and along said table and serving to guide articles to be pressed in their passage to said bottom die, means for intermittently delivering articles to said channel, and a swinging check device oper able in timed relation with movement of the plunger, said check device having a stop movable into and out of said channel for momentarily arresting the articles in advance of'said bottom die and an arm for simultaneously shifting a series of articles along said table to said bottom die with deposit of one of said articles beneath the plunger.

8. Ina machine for making pressed metal articles, including a plunger and bottom die, a gravity chute leading. downward from said die, said chute having a ledge upon which the articles are adapted to fall incident to their formation and whereat said articles are adapted to be turned from one position to another within said chute, a conduit joining the lower end of said gravity chute, a pressure jet disposed at the juncture of said chute and conduit, and means for operating said pressure jet in timed relation to the stroke of the plunger.

HERMANN M. HESSENBRUCH. 

